Brake-operating means for motor-vehicles



B. F. SCHMIDT.

BRAKE OPERATING MEANS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED APR-8,1919.

Patnted Oct. 25, 1921,

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BRAKE-OPERATING MEANS FOR MOTOR-VEHICLES.

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Specification oi Letters Patent.

Patented Got. 25, 1921.

Application filed April 8, 1919. Serial No. 288,442.

To all whom it may concern:

. the purposes for which Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. SCHMIDT, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Exeter, and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brake- Operating Means for Motor-Vehicles; and

I do declare the following to be a clear,

full, and exact descrlption of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawiIigs and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis ap lication.

his invention relates to improvements in bake operating means for motor vehicles, the princlpal object of the invention being to provide a means for applying the brakes of a motor vehicle, especially of the pleasure type, without the necessity of having such means project up through the floor of the car, as is 'now almost universally the case,

This feature has various disadvantages. It very often happens that the person or persons who are sitting in the front seats of the car beside the driver are crowded in, or have one foot or leg over the brake lever, or a packa e on the floor mayjam behind the same. y of these common occurrences are a source of annoyance and danger to the driver, who should have the brake lever always accessible in case of emergency.

With my improved method of operation, the brake handle projects horizontally from under the cowl at a point where interference therewith by anyone other than the driver of the car is practically impossible.

My novel positioning of the operatin hand for the brakes is especially advantageous when used on vehicles equipped with the type of pre-selector gear change apparatus as shown in 3, 1916, No. 1,200,431. This mechanism does away with the necessity of a gear change lever and then'by positioningl my brake op erating handle away from t e floor of the car, this leaves the space adjacentthe front seat entirely unobstructed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive means and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for it is designed.

These objects, I accomplish by means of such structure. and relative arrangement vof the parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the/following specification and claims.

in the county of Tulare the brake pull-rod my patent dated October On the drawings, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a fragmentary portion of a motor vehicle of standard design, showing the arrangement of my improved brake applying means therein.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the said means, wiprh the cowl pemoved.

i 3 is a ra enta section taken on a ling 33 of Fig ry Referring now more particularly to the characters on the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the floor usual dash board 2 rising therefrom, and an overhanging portion 3, as is common practice-in the present design of motor vehicles of the type particularly specified.

Under the floor is the usual transverse forward brake shaft 4, having an arm 5 depending therefrom,

5 passing back to the usual brake system not here shown.

Projecting upwardly from the shaft 4 through a slot 1 in the'floor and positioned to normally rest in avertical position adj acent the dash board 2 is a lever arm 6 provided with a slot 7 in its upper end, which is,

just under the overhung portion 3 of the dash. Adapted to straddle the upper end of the arm 6 is a yoke or fork 8 having a pin 9 slidable in the slot 7, such yoke belng pivoted at its outer end, as at 10, to a bar 11 projecting horizontally and substantially parallel to the slope of the overhang of the dash, and passing through an orifice 12 provided in a plate 13 attached to the outer face of the dash-"board 2.

A handle 14 is secured to the outer'end ofthe bar 11 whereby the bar may be pulled to set the brakes. g

Positioned alongside the bar 11 and substantially parallel thereto is a bar 15 rlgidly mounted to the dash-board and to the'plate 13, on which bar slides a guide strap 16 assing therearound and also around the s ank of the yoke 8 and being secured thereto. This guide maintains the relative horizontal to which arm is pivoted alinement of the bar 111 at-all positions of Thus it will be seen that apull ice bar 11 may be set at any position in its travel by any suitable pawl and ratchet means as may'-be desired.

I have here shown ratchet teeth 17 on the underside of the bar 11, adapted to engage with the lower edge of the orifice 12, which is similarly notched, this orifice allowing of sufiicient play of the bar 11 vertically to permit the same to clear the teeth when it is desired to apply or release the brakes.

A spring 18 is attached to the plate 13 and bears against the bar 11 teeth on the same normally in contact with the notches in the orifice 12.

It will thus be seen that I have provided "a simple and efiicient means for applying the 4 brakes while keeping the floor clear -'of any projecting obstructions.

1 It will also be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfils the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, stlll in practice, such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined bythe appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what' I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1.-The combination with a shaft, and a lever-arm fixed thereto and projecting upto hold the wardly therefrom, of a link flexibly connected to the arm to allow relative vertical movement, said'link being positioned at an angle to the arm, a rigid guide bar extending rearwardly of the arm and parallel to thelink, a guide strap fixed to the link, and

engaging the 'bar, a pull rod pivoted to the rear end of the link, and means cooperating with the-rod for allowing the same to be pulled without its being raised and for automatically holding the same set at any desired point in its travel.

' 2. The combination with a shaft, and a lever-arm fixed thereto'and projecting upwardly therefrom, of a link flexibly connected to the arm' to allow relative vertical movement, said link being positioned at an angle to the arm, means for maintaining the 1 link in a constant plane with any movement 'of the arm, a pull rod pivoted to the rear end of the link, a slotted fixed plate to the rear of the arm throu h which the rod passes, forwardly projecting ratchet teeth on 

